Underworld
The Underworld was the place where souls went after death. At the moment of death the soul was separated from the corpse, taking on the shape of the former person, and was transported to the entrance of Hades. Hades itself was described as being either at the outer bounds of the ocean or beneath the depths or ends of the earth. It was considered the dark counterpart to the brightness of Mount Olympus, and was the kingdom of the dead that corresponded to the kingdom of the gods. Hades was a realm invisible to the living and it was made solely for the dead. Geography of the Underworld 'Rivers of the Underworld' *The Styx is generally considered to be one of the most prominent and central rivers of the Underworld and is also the most widely known out of all the rivers. It is known as the river of hatred and is named after the goddess Styx. It is said that this river circles the underworld nine times. *The Acheron is the river of pain. According to Euripides, it is the river that Charon, also known as the Ferryman, rows the dead in the ferry across the Styx to enter Hades. *The Lethe is the river of oblivion. It is associated with the goddess Lethe, or the goddess of forgetfulness and oblivion. *The Phlegethon is the river of fire. According to Plato, this river led to the depths of Tartarus. *The Cocytus is the river of wailing. 'Fields of Asphodel ' The Asphodel Meadows was the place for ordinary or indifferent souls who did not commit any significant crimes, but who also did not achieve any greatness or recognition that would warrant them being admitted to the Elysian Fields. It was where mortals who did not belong anywhere else in the Underworld were sent. 'Fields of Punishment ' The Fields of Punishment was the place for those who had created havoc on the world and committed crimes specifically against the gods. Hades himself would make the individual's punishment of eternal suffering based on their specific crime. 'Tartarus ' Tartarus was not considered to be directly a part of the underworld, it was described as being as far beneath the underworld as the earth is beneath the sky. It is so dark that the "night is poured around it in three rows like a collar round the neck, while above it grow the roots of the earth and of the unharvested sea." Tartarus is the place that Zeus cast the Titans along with his father Cronus after defeating them. It is the place reserved for mortals who had greatly offended the gods. Tantalus, who betrayed the trust of the gods, is suffering torment by having food and drink eternally beyond his reach. Sisyphus, who disrupted the income of souls by tricking and chaining up Thanatos, is condemned to push a heavy rock up a slope, only to have it roll back down each time. 'Elysium Fields ' Elysium was a place for the especially distinguished. It was ruled over by Rhadamanthus, and the souls that dwelled there had an easy afterlife and had no labors. Usually, those who had proximity to the gods were granted admission, rather than those who were especially righteous or had ethical merit. Heroes such as Perseus and Achilles were transported here after their deaths. 'Isles of the Blessed ' The Isles of the Blessed were islands in the realm of Elysium. When a soul achieved Elysium they had a choice to either stay in Elysium, or to be reborn. If a soul was reborn three times and achieved Elysium all three times, then they were sent to the Isles of the Blessed to experience eternal paradise. Immortal Inhabitants Hades Hades, one of the three sons of the Titan Cronus, and brother of Zeus and Poseidon, became king of the underworld. When the world was divided between the sons of Cronus, Zeus received the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld; the earth itself was divided between the three. Therefore, while Hades' responsibility was in the Underworld, he was allowed to have power over the earth as well. Hades rarely left his domain, and to those living in the world above his intentions were unknown. Hades became feared and hated by both the gods and mortals; sacrifices and prayers did not appease him so mortals rarely tried. In Greek society, many viewed Hades as the least liked god and many gods even had an aversion towards him, and when people would sacrifice to Hades, it would be if they wanted revenge on an enemy or something terrible to happen to them. Persephone Persephone is the Queen of the Underworld. She was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and Zeus, king of the gods. Persephone was abducted by Hades while gathering flowers. Gaea has planted a narcissus flower for Persephone to pick (a favour to Hades), and when she picked it the earth suddenly opened up. Hades, appearing in a golden chariot, seduced and carried Persephone into the underworld. When Demeter found out that Zeus had given Hades permission to abduct Persephone and take her as a wife, Demeter became enraged at Zeus and stopped growing harvests for the earth. To soothe her, Zeus sent Hermes to the Underworld to take Persephone back to her mother. However, she ate 3 pomegranate seeds and so she was forever tied to the underworld, since the pomegranate seed was sacred to the underworld. Melinoe Melinoe was a chthonic nymph and the daughter of Hades and Persephone. She was known as a bringer of nightmares and madness and the goddess of dead spirits. Charon Charon is the ferryman who, after receiving a soul from Hermes, would guide them across the rivers Styx and/or Acheron to the underworld. At funerals, the deceased traditionally had an obol placed over their eye or under their tongue, so they could pay Charon to take them across. Charon was considered a terrifying being since his duty was to bring these souls to the Underworld and no one would persuade him to do otherwise. The Dead In the Underworld, the souls of the dead still existed but they are insubstantial and they flitted around the underworld with no sense of purpose. Their lives in the underworld were very neutral, so all social statuses and political positions were eliminated and no one was able to use their previous lives to their advantage in the Underworld. The idea of progress did not exist in the Greek Underworld – at the moment of death, the psyche was frozen, in experience and appearance. The souls in the Underworld did not age or really change in any sense. They did not lead any sort of active life in the Underworld, they were exactly the same as they were in life. Therefore those who had died in battle were eternally blood-spattered in the underworld and those who had died peacefully were able to remain that way. Overall the Greek dead were considered to be irritable and unpleasant, but not dangerous or malevolent. They grew angry if they felt a hostile presence near their graves and drink offerings were given in order to appease them so as not to anger the dead. Mostly blood offerings were given due to the fact that they needed the essence of life to become communicative and conscious again. When Odysseus went to the Underworld, he had to give blood in order for the souls to interact with him. While in the Underworld, the dead passed the time through simple pastimes such as playing games, as shown from objects found in tombs such as dice and game-boards. Grave gifts such as clothing, jewelry, and food were left by the living for use in the Underworld as well since many viewed these gifts to carry over into the Underworld. Homer depicted the dead as unable to eat or drink unless they had been summoned; however, some reliefs portray the Underworld as having many elaborate feasts. While not completely clear, it is implied that the dead could still have sexual intimacy with another, although no children were produced. The Greeks also showed belief in the possibility of marriage in the Underworld, which in a sense describes the Greek Underworld having no difference than from their current life. The Underworld was free from the concept of time. The dead are aware of both the past and the future, and in poems describing Greek heroes, the dead helped move the plot of the story by prophesying and telling truths unknown to the hero. The only way for humans to communicate with the dead was to suspend time and their normal life to reach Hades, the place beyond immediate perception and human time. Category:Places